Faces of Gengo: Hari

by Jenie Gabriel|June 6, 2017

Despite his busy schedule as a first-year medical resident, Hari also works as a French to English translator in his spare time. He believes translating for Gengo served as the catalyst for pursuing one of his dreams. Find out more about his Gengo experience in his interview.

Nationality: CanadianLocation: BahrainOccupation: Intern doctorGengo translator since: May 2014Language pair: French to English

If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be and why?

Hindi, because it is the national language of India, where my family is from, and speaking it more fluently than I do would enable to communicate with virtually a billion more people.

Do you have experience living in other countries? If so, where?

Yes, I do. I’m originally from Ontario, Canada but I also lived in India and now I’m based in Bahrain.

I’m fortunate enough to be living and working outside my home country at the moment, I can’t complain when there are views like this to be had!

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy being a translator and why?

An 8. It’s given me a little more economic freedom than I have ever had in my life up till now, and it has let me stay in touch with a language that I worked very hard to become fluent in. It’s also opened my eyes to a future career possibility with the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world, which has always been a dream of mine.

This is my favorite part about working for Gengo! I can translate from anywhere, as long as I have my laptop or iPad. I sometimes translate during my downtime at work or while I’m on vacation visiting my family.

When you were growing up, what did you aspire to become?

A pilot.

Name three of your favorite translation/language learning tools.

1. People around me, 2. Formal language courses, 3. People around me

Something I really enjoy doing is my daily work as a junior doctor and working with my colleagues.

What advice would you give to new or aspiring translators?

The best way to learn anything, including a language, is to go out and practice it in the medium that you want to get good at. You want to get better at speaking the language? Go out and speak it. You want to get better at translating texts? Sit your butt down in a chair and just do it, even if it’s by yourself to start with! It’s the only way to get good at anything.

What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

Trust your own decisions and your own feelings. Don’t let other people tell you you’re wrong, or live for you.

Jenie creates and coordinates content for Gengo's marketing team. Originally from the Philippines, she was an advertising creative in Singapore before moving to Tokyo. In her spare time, you’ll find her wandering around the city or planning her next escapade.